Christmas seems to start earlier every year, and even though the leftovers from Thanksgiving are still in my fridge, I have already begun my holiday celebration, thanks to my TV.
I love Christmas movies. White Christmas has been a favorite in my family for years, as has National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, and I never miss A Charlie Brown Christmas or the 24-hour marathon of A Christmas Story. Those are classics, a holiday staple as crucial as cookies and garland.
Christmas movies are like guilty pleasure movies without the guilt. They can be silly, cheesy, sappy and trite, but we can still love them, because Christmas is the season for silly, cheesy, sappy and trite. What other time of year could we hear "every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings" and not puke?
But this isn't about those movies. This is about the movies often overlooked during holiday time -- the non-Christmas Christmas movie. These are the films in which Christmas plays only a supporting role; the story takes place at Christmas, but it's not technically a Christmas movie. No one becomes a better person or learns to appreciate the joy of the season; they just live their lives among twinkle lights and Douglas Firs.
Here are some of my favorites.
The Long Kiss Goodnight -- Geena Davis plays a suburban soccer mom who has amnesia but is beginning to remember bits and pieces when she is attacked in her home. After hiring a private detective, played beautifully by Samuel L. Jackson, she learns she is actually a CIA assassin. A couple of Christmas parades and some fantastic yard lights and decorations make this a fine choice for holiday movie-watching.
Bridget Jones' Diary -- Nothing says "non-Christmas Christmas movie" like a film that hardly mentions Christmas but does feature holiday themed sweaters.
The Ice Harvest -- John Cusack and Billy Bob Thornton steal some money from a mob boss on Christmas Eve, and bloody killing ensues. What better way to celebrate the most wonderful time of the year than to see a woman shot to death beneath her tree?
Gremlins -- A solemn reminder that breaking into the holiday treats after midnight is not a good idea.
Rent -- A landlord threatens to evict his tenants on Christmas Eve and they respond by staging a protest and singing about the joys of Bohemian living. Add a song which includes the words "Happy Birthday, Jesus" and you've got yourself some heartwarming holiday fun. That actually kind of sounds like a regular Christmas movie, but it also features other holidays, so I think it qualifies for this list.
So go forth and celebrate this joyful season!
3 comments:
You seem to have left out Love Actually (cheesy chick flick that it is), and my two favorite non-Christmas Christmas flicks of all, Die Hard and Lethal Weapon. Nothing like explosions and indescriminate death at Christmas to make me feel warm and fuzzy all over!
There's also the holiday bits in "When Harry Met Sally" and "You've Got Mail"-chick flicks do love their holiday montages.
A couple of the best overlooked true holiday movies are "The Bishop's Wife" (of course Cary Grant was an angel!) and "One Magic Christmas" with Harry Dean Stanton as the most unlikely angel Gabriel ever.
There's also a great holiday party scene in "Desk Set". One of those great offices parties with dancing and cocktails that would never fl in this PC age but totally makes me want to go back in time.
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